You know I love you and your input here, man! :)
But no, i’m not a fan of modern day data gathering and the limp-wrist way most of the computer generation just hand over their most personal data…
Neither am I and I do think in time they will come to regret it and further generations will be more circumspect with what data they are willing to share.
…like i say we have history to take into consideration, and the global state of play in the world, a potential danger in combination.
Maybe, maybe not. Most of the data gathering and analytics these days in the in the hands of commercial interests, not government. Even then it is only the big boys playing hard at this stage. Most Enterprise business are still coming to terms with the idea of big data, let alone in an advanced state of implementation. And those that are are doing it are doing it for commercial purposes (ie to raise revenues through more intelligent interactions with customers, or reduce costs though better supply chain management), rather than anything nefarious. I am also not convinced Google, FB, MS, etc are in government pockets in regards to handing over that data, though it is a future worry should they be compelled. But I think they would be making a stink about it if that were the case as it an incredibly valuable commodity that would be devalued by handing it over to anyone without a commercial benefit.
Times have changed. There is now value in people’s browsing and posting habits, where they go, what they read, who they listen to, what they buy, how they move around, their schedules, their interests, disinterests, opinions, etc, etc. I’m not sure most people these days realise that, or that business profit from (trends in) that information.
The capitalist in me says that if Google and FB can profit from my search and posting history, then why can’t I get a slice of that? If I can’t, they I’ll limit what information I’ll provide and I think future generations will too. I am also disinclined to want to pay more insurance in a decade because those in my demographic have a tendency to do x, y, or z based on big data analytics. I don’t really want to be penalised for being just a number in their machine and cataloged based on what my peers do. If they want to harp on about value this and value that and how their service is individualised and tailored and I’m an important customer (because that’s the messaging all the marketing has), then they can fuck off with their analytical profiling and instead ask me some questions directly.
Governments are a different beast. Not sure how to handle that - if the government wants to come after you, you’re probably already screwed. Thankfully live in a country that still has laws that govern such behavior when targeted at individuals - warrants, due process, etc). That said, there is lots of really good reasons to analyse and trend data to significantly improve and strip cost from government service delivery at all levels. Say, analysing when people are browsing Netflix may be a great indication of when they are actually home, from which you can make improvements in delivery of utility services and better predict power/water usage and scheduling generation resources to suit. Or tracking who is using online payment services may make drastic changes in policies of sending paper based billing materials, reducing cost and environmental wastage. We love it when our local councils are ‘green’, right?
Data analytics is just a tool. We are barely scratching the surface of it’s value and how it can be used to better service us as individuals, as businesses, as governments, as fucking Earthlings. Don’t jump to conclusions that everything new is bad and somehow going to be used against us by shadowy corporations and governments as means of control and domination. And I say that as someone that is getting more cynical about that stuff as I age (though not as bad as my father-in-law).
P.S. - are you my father-in-law?
